Google has quietly released the new version of its recently-launched Google Chrome browser. The latest version, 0.2.149.29, replaces the 0.2.149.27 which was released when Google launched the Chrome beta browser about a week ago, a launch that was greeted with
excitement the world over. Google started releasing the new Chrome browser update quietly at the end of last week to a small number of users, and didn't make an announcement about the update until recently. Still, they wouldn't divulge exactly what changes were done, only saying that the updates fixed some security problems. (Banner immage courtesy of nytimes.com)

"All users have not received the update yet, so we cannot discuss the details of the security issues that were addressed, but we plan to disclose more information once the update has reached all of our users," Google said in a recently released statement.

To manually check if your Google Chrome browser has been updated, you can click on the wrench icon at the upper right hand corner of your browser. This will reveal the version number of the browser you are using. It will also reveal if there is an update available for download and installation. If left untouched, however, Google Chrome will still check and download updates automatically, approximately every five hours, and install it at the next restart. This is one feature of the Google Chrome browser that has been hailed as innovative by some, and "sinister" by others. Some have referred it as an arrogant "Google knows best" feature. Indeed, this is quite different from what we have experienced with other browsers. Microsoft's IE and Mozilla's Firefox, two of Google Chrome's biggest competitors, leave the automatic update and download feature as an option to users.

Google, on the other hand, thinks that it is best not to give its users the said option. "Users do not get a notification when they are updated. When there are security fixes, it's crucial that we update our users as quickly as possible in order to keep them safe. Thus, it's important for us to not require user intervention," the company said in a statement. "There are some security fixes that we'll keep quiet because we don't want to disclose security vulnerabilities to attackers."

Reported security risks include a carpet-bombing vulnerability that could help an attacker install malicious software on a user's computer without giving the user a chance to accept or reject the download. Another reported issue, according to Bach Khoa Internet Security, in Google Chrome 0.2.149.27 is a "buffer overrun that could allow an attacker to run arbitrary code on a user's computer and thereby take control of it."

Google, however, revealed some "minor" details about the update. First, it updated a JavaScript bug that could cause problems using Facebook. Then it also revealed that a problem that would crash the entire browser if a person typed "about:%" into the address bar has been fixed.

With barely a week after the release of the beta version, expect more updates to be released for the Google Chrome browser as more bugs and vulnerabilities are discovered.

Read more: Chrome's 'Save As' flaw could give attackers control | Google Chrome browser download & reviews | Google's new Chrome browser: ready for download and dominance | Google Chrome lacks polish under the hood | Another Google Chrome Security Flaw Identified

If you like this post, then please consider subscribing to my RSS feed. You can also subscribe by email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.